Trails to the Past

Kent County, Rhode Island Biographies

Personal Paragraphs of East Greenwich

R - S

Source: The History of Washington & Kent Counties
Written by J. R. Cole published in 1889 by W. W. Preston & Co.

Thomas A. Reynolds (William, Jabez, Jabez, Francis, James) was born at North Kingstown in 1817. He has resided here over forty years. He was ten years in the livery business, and was at one time in the coal and grain trade. Since 1879 he has been engaged in life and fire insurance. The firm is now Tilley & Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds has been somewhat in political life, having been senator four years, town treasurer two years, and several times in the town council.

Christopher A. Shippee, farmer, of Exeter Hill, was born in 1840. His father was William W. Shippee, son of William, son of Caleb, son of Thomas A., son of Thomas, son of Samuel, who emigrated from Scotland or the north of England. Mr. Shippee married Rebecca, daughter of Benjamin Jones, whose father, Jenkins Jones, was a son of Josiah Jones. Their residence in School District No. 4 was built in 1762 by one Silas Jones, an uncle of Josiah Jones.

Lodowick C. Shippee was born in 1848. His father, still living, is Pardon V. Shippee, whose father, Allen, was a son of Caleb and a grandson of Thomas Shippee. He was trained to the farm, and at 20 years of age began learning carpentry. Since 1875 he has been operating as a contractor and builder at East Greenwich. With James Holland, as Holland & Shippee, he built the Henry P. Eldredge house and the Odd Fellows' hall, the Colonel Bodfish block and others. Since operating alone he has built several large structures here, including the carpenter's work on the Baptist church, and the Town Hall, and Fitts & Co.'s block. His wife is a posthumous daughter of John Smith, of North Kingstown, who in 1849 was lost at sea. Mr. and Mrs. Shippee have three sons and three daughters.

Manser C. Shippee was born in 1818. His father, Lodowick U., was a son of Caleb Shippee. He worked at machine building with his father, who was a machinist, and in 1837 learned weaving and became a boss weaver, and worked as such some twenty years. He married Harriet Dawley, of Exeter. They have three sons and five daughters. Mr. Shippee is a member of the Six Principle Baptist church, and has been a long time superintendent of the Sabbath school.

Wanton Shippee, born in 1827, is a brother of Manser above mentioned. He has been engaged in farming for the last twenty-five years. He has been a member of the town council several years. He married Zilpha B. Knight, granddaughter of Dr. Nathan Knight, of South Kingstown, R. I. Their only living child is Zilpha K., now Mrs. S. Edwin Lillibridge. She has three children : Jesse, Maud and Bessie.

Christopher A. Shippee, born in 1837, is a brother of Wanton and Manser C. His wife is Leonora F. J., daughter of Reverend Nicholas Johnson, a Baptist clergyman. Mr. Shippee was postmaster at East Greenwich from 1871 to 1880, and was the next year deputy sheriff of Kent county, then trial justice. He has been justice of the peace twenty-five years, and is now tax collector for this town. He was on the first republican town committee, and served twenty-one years, fourteen of which he was chairman.

Oliver W. Slocum, born in South Kingstown, learned house carpentry, at which he worked some twenty-five years. For the last twenty years his business has been pattern making. Since 1870 he has been foreman for William A. Harris, of Providence, builder of Harris-Corliss steam engines. He represented East Greenwich in the legislature of 1887-88, as a democrat, and has been in the town council.

Benjamin B. Spencer, carpenter and builder, was born in this town in 1826. His father, Caleb (1782-1871), was a son of Wilson Spencer, born 1762, and grandson of Wilson Spencer, born 1730, who in 1753 built the old Spencer homestead now standing on the middle road in this town. His father was Walter Spencer, born 1701, a son of Benjamin Spencer (1670-1723). This Benjamin was the third child of the John Spencer who is noticed elsewhere as the ancestor of Deacon Richard Spencer, of this town. That John was the nephew and heir of John Spencer who came from England March 24th, 1633, and died childless in London in 1648. Mrs. Benjamin B. Spencer, deceased, was Mary A., sister of Daniel L. Briggs. Their only son is Leander B. Spencer, whose wife, Emma J., is a daughter of James E. Spencer. Piatt Rogers Spencer, author of the Spencerian system of penmanship, is of the fifth generation from John Spencer, the ancestor of this family in America.

Edward Stanhope, of English extraction, born in Newport in 1811, came here in 1852 and opened a grocery store. In June, 1868, as a non-partisan, he was nominated by both parties and elected town clerk of East Greenwich, a position he still holds, having been re-elected each year. His wife, deceased, was a daughter of Stukely Wickes. Mr. Stanhope was vestryman in St. Luke's church here, in which he was several years secretary and treasurer.

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